Chapter 165: Morning Sweetener
Gara ended up sleeping for nearly twelve hours, skipping dinner entirely. The food left in bowls and plates on the small table beside bed had long gone cold, probably no longer edible.
The young man groaned, pressing a hand to his head. It still throbbed faintly, whether from motion sickness or the fact that he’d gone without dinner, he wasn’t sure.
As his bleary eyes took in the unfamiliar room—no cribs in sight—he finally remembered he wasn’t in Bota Village anymore.
He set up a protective barrier around his room, then slipped into the dimensional pocket.
Outside, the sky was still dark and the air bit with cold, so he hurried straight into the house. The front room was empty. Gara moved deeper inside, heading toward the kitchen in search of food.
Creek.
The laboratory door suddenly swung open. No wind. No one touched it.
But Gara instantly knew the culprit. Sure enough, when he looked down, there was Rea. Her innocent little face giving her away as she tried to sneak out.
"Rea. What were you doing in my lab?" Gara crossed his arms, staring her down.
Rea didn’t answer. She bolted through the side door instead.
Gara just huffed and let her go. He could’ve caught the little white squirrel easily.
After all, this dimensional home only had a small forest, nothing like the mountain behind their old house in the village. But right now, he was too hungry to pick a fight.
Unfortunately, the kitchen yielded no leftovers he could reheat.
"Gara, are you inside?"
A voice rang in his ears, not from any direction. Gara recognized it immediately as coming through the satchel outside.
"Yeah. What is it, Madha? Want to come in?" he asked, recognizing Madha’s voice.
"Do you want breakfast? I’ve already prepared some here," came the reply.
Gara blinked, surprised, then a smile bloomed across his face. That man always knew exactly what he needed.
"I do. I’ll come out. Step back a little from the satchel."
With that, Gara exited the dimensional pocket.
Unexpectedly, Madha hadn’t yet set the satchel down, and Gara’s body tumbled right onto him.
Luckily, Madha’s larger frame caught him easily, steadying them both so that Gara ended up cradled in his arms, in a perfect bridal carry.
Their eyes met. Gara was still a little dazed, while Madha’s gaze brimmed with concern.
"Sorry, I didn’t expect you to pop out right on top of the satchel," Madha murmured, his deep but gentle voice brushing against Gara’s ears.
"It’s fine," Gara replied quickly, though his skin tingled and his heart pounded harder than he thought possible, even after everything they’d already done together.
For a long moment, Madha didn’t set him down, and Gara didn’t ask to be released.
They just kept looking at each other, the intensity in their gazes shifting into something else. The air between them practically crackled, a charged current born from the tension of that unbroken stare.
Madha finally gave in. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Gara’s lips, then smiled as if to say that starting the morning with a kiss would make the whole day brighter.
Gara chuckled softly, looping his arms around Madha’s neck and returning the kiss with playful pecks all over his face.
Madha let out a small laugh, tickled by Gara’s antics. Slowly, the tall man lowered Gara onto the bed, his hand gliding gently across Gara’s cheek and down to the back of his neck.
A shiver ran through Gara. "U-ugh, s-stop..." he whispered, though his breath was uneven and his gaze no longer clear.
His dark hair spread across the bedding as his chest rose and fell heavily. His arms still clung to Madha’s neck, and then—almost unconsciously—his hand slid into Madha’s brown hair, savoring its softness.
"You tell me to stop, but you’re still tempting me?" Madha whispered right against his ear, nibbling lightly at it.
Gara jolted, his body tense. His mind teetered at the edge of control, about to give in completely. His hands drifted down to Madha’s broad back, stroking, gripping, urging him on.
But instead of giving him what he wanted, Madha murmured, "Eat breakfast first... then we’ll continue."
He pulled away, leaving Gara breathless.
Madha moved toward the table, where a bowl and plates of food still steamed hot, already swapped out with fresh servings.
With a heavy sigh, Gara reluctantly swallowed down his desire. Hunger wasn’t what he wanted right now, but he had little choice. He sat at the table, eyes flicking toward Madha.
"After we eat, we are continuing," Gara said firmly.
The muscular man, carrying over a glass of water, nearly dropped it at those words. A wide smile spread across his face before he nodded. "I’ll try to hold back... later."
And sure enough, once breakfast was over, the two of them tangled together again on the bed, trading warmth and closeness.
Just as he promised, Madha held himself back, careful not to toss Gara around too roughly since he had just eaten.
Still, Gara found himself regretting one thing, why did he tease Madha in the morning? He should’ve waited until night.
...
After that heated morning, the real work began. Hilda had arrived early, patiently waiting until her master finally descended from the second floor, Madha close behind him.
As before, Hilda had booked out an entire inn. They wouldn’t encounter anyone besides a few staff members who stayed on-site.
"Master, the supplies you ordered have been prepared in the storeroom," she reported when her master—his face still carrying that natural, striking beauty—appeared before her.
"Show me," Gara instructed. Fian, who had just finished breakfast, rose from his seat to follow.
"Yes, Master," Hilda answered, though she didn’t move right away.
Gara turned to Hilda with a questioning look, and only then did the woman with half-black and half-gray hair move.
She led them through the kitchen to the storage room, where she had arranged everything Gara needed.
"Close the door. And when this satchel drops, don’t touch it," Gara said.
...